Fire-escape ladder.



UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. WEBSTER, 0F BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNO R TO JAMES C. ALLEN AND THOMAS WYNN, BOTH OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.

ostess.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. WEBSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blooinington, in the county of McLean, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escape Ladders; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fire escapes, more particularly to the flexible ladder type of lire escapes.

Ordinarily it has been found difiicult to positively anchor the rungs of a rope or cable ladder against turning and therefore the principal obj ect of the present invention is to provide means which will positively prevent rotation of the rungs under severe conditions of service.

A second object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple and durable means that will positively prevent escape of the rungs either longitudinally of the ladder or transversely of the ladder, this end being attained by forming crimps in the anchoring wire which tend to prevent movement of the rungs from their applied positions.

With the above objects in view, the invcntion consists in the certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claim.

in the accompanying drawing forming part of this specificationz-Figure 1 is a de tail perspective view of a flexible ladder embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation with parts of the rope and rung broken away to expose the binding wire.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts, the flexible ladder is shown to comprise spaced parallel stranded ropes which have their strands spread apart at Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 19, 1911.

Patented July 2, 1912. Serial No. 650,180.

spaced intervals as shown at 11 to form openings 12. The rungs 13 are cylindrical in outline and have their opposite extremities equipped wit-h blocks 14 which bear against and space the ladder from a building when in use. Furthermore, each rung adjacent to its ends is formed with openings 15 which register with the openings 12 and are disposed in axial alinement with the ropes 10 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

For rigidly anchoring the rungs against movement a binding wire 16 is inserted through the opening in each rung extremity and the terminals 17 of the wire are wrapped about the adjacent rope on opposite sides of the rung extremity. Upon wrapping of the terminals about the rope, bights or crimps 18 are formed which engage the rung and form stops which prevent slipping of the rung longitudinally of the rope while at the same time that portion of the wire between the stops positively prevents lateral escape of the rung. It will be noted furthermore, and this feature is deemed of importance that by virtue of the wire 16 being engaged through the rung extremity, that rotation of the rung, which has hitherto been an annoyance in ordinary devices of this character, is positively prevented.

For attaching the ladder to a bar 19 adapted to span a window casing inside the room and support the ladder, a pair of the rope extremities 20 are looped upon them selves and the extremities of the loops stranded upon the body of the rope as shown at 21. A binding wire, cord, or similar ele ment 22 is wrapped about the common stranded portion of each loop and related rope and positively prevents distortion of the loop.

It will be noted that a ladder of this kind is formed of a small number of extremely simple and durable parts that will not easily get out of order, and furthermore is so constructed as to positively prevent either escape or rotation of the rungs when the ladder is in use.

\Vhat is claimed, is

A flexible ladder including spaced ropes having their strands spread apart at intervals with resultant openings, rungs each having its opposite extremities inserted in alined openings in said ropes, said extremities having openings in registration With and terminally Wrapped about the ropes on opposite sides of the rung extremities.

In testimony whereof, I atliX my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES M. WVEBSTER.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

